Amnesia: Dark Descent

You can find countless horror games. But good horror games are a rarity. You have the usual zombies, vampires and scary monsters game which follow the typical clichéd storyline and don’t offer many thrills. They have the blood and the gore, but there is more to horror than just bloody bits flying around. So we have found a horror game that not only has a smart storyline but is high on spooks and scares.

Amnesia: Dark Descent

This is a pretty well-known game by now, and there are even reaction videos online of people who were brave enough to play this game. We will discuss the main storyline of the game. There will be some small spoilers, but we will try not to give away anything big. The purpose of this is to let you decide for yourself whether you are brave enough to play this game or not!

The Storyline

The game is set in 1839 and is played from a first-person perspective. The protagonist, Daniel, wakes up in a castle with no memory except his name. He finds a letter from himself that gave himself amnesia to save himself from his crushing guilt. The letter also tells him that he has to search the castle and kill a man named Alexander.

As Daniel moves through the castle, he finds his scattered journal entries reveal the background story: who he is, how he ended up at the castle, who is Alexander and why he has to kill him. We will not reveal this background story as it will just give away the terrifying and shocking twists in the story.

The horrors in the game

Story aside, the real horror for the players begin when Daniel starts moving through the castle.The visuals are stunning and the atmosphere is always eerie. The graphics are detailed but you can play amnesia even with a gaming laptop under $500, Players have to guide the protagonist Daniel through the dark, monster and horror infested castle, without any memory of who he is. So this is not merely a game about monsters in a castle; it is a game that also explores the genre of psychological thrillers.

You would think Daniel would at least have some weapon to help him fight the monster. But that doesn’t happen. Daniel and the player are pretty helpless. With no weapons, the player cannot have some heroic battle to vanquish the monsters. Instead, they have to run away from prowling creatures and hide they lose interest. Players can hide in closets, shadows and barricade doors.

Psychological aspect

Each new room that Daniel encounters drains him of his sanity even more. Encountering horrifying monsters and suffering from amnesia causes Daniel to hallucinate even more monsters and horrific scenarios. There is an indicator of Daniel’s sanity and it drains in the darkness when faced with monsters. There are lights on the way that help boost his sanity. Completing a task also restores his sanity.

Meanwhile, the player starts questioning his own sanity for playing this game! The game is pretty terrifying, and Daniel’s mental vulnerability to monsters makes it even creepier. So if you are looking for a horror-filled game night, go for Amnesia: Dark Descent.